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Does anybody even care about....

Shawne Williams???

I don't think I've ever seen a first round pick with such low discussion. Our second round pick is getting far more talking points. Is it because nobody cares about Williams, have no faith in him, don't like him or just think it will be a long while before he is ready?

I saw him on NBAtv the other day doing an interview at the NBA store, he was there shooting his rookie card shot, & I'll say this he looks bulked up from what I saw in clips of him.

I also was very impressed with his demeanor in the interview. He said he was taking Larry Birds words to heart (Larry told him to shoot 300+ jump shots a day) & that he was going to do everything he could do to get ready to play right away.

Not really what I expected to be honest with you.

Basketball isn't played with computers, spreadsheets, and simulations. ChicagoJ 4/21/13

Re: Does anybody even care about....

I just don't know if I should expect him to do or be anything or not, to be honest. He seemed thin and perimeter based, which is fine if he's a 3, but not a 4. James White sounds more ready and more what we need, so like most my thoughts have been on him when I think about who we drafted.

Re: Does anybody even care about....

Re: Does anybody even care about....

he's a year or two away from cracking the rotation, which is why i don't think many ppl are talking about him. on the other hand, white has a good chance of getting some PT this year, which is why he is talked about.

from what i've heard, shawne has a ton of potential. he's got some great mentors and comptetion at the forward spots from harrington, jo, and granger. time will tell i guess.

Re: Does anybody even care about....

1) He's a project (and he'd be best served by spending the next season or two in the NBDL instead of being a "warm" body for shootarounds and the occasional practice session.)

2) Our coach has a history of severly limiting the roles for rookies. Sure you can argue that Granger got minutes last season - mostly becasue of Artest's trade demands and JO's injuries. He also spent most of last season at PF (which makes the Granger @ SG discussion odd to me).

3) We have significant talent ahead of him on the depth chart. Who's minutes are you cutting back to play this kid? Granger? No. Harrington? No. JO? No. David/Jeff? No. There aren't any frontcourt minutes available.

4) This move seems to be a "Larry Bird" move, and the other moves allegedly attributed to Bird don't exactly scream "TRUST ME ON THIS!!"

I keep looking at the number of young (high school, college freshmen and sophomores) taken as mid-first rounders that turn into busts or just underwhelming players for whatever reason. (Dion Glover, anyone?) I think the odds of this kid not panning out in the NBA are pretty high. And the odds of him not panning out for the Pacers are significantly higher, because of our coach and frontcourt depth.

Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
And life itself, rushing over me
Life itself, the wind in black elms,
Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

Re: Does anybody even care about....

I don't think I've ever seen a first round pick with such low discussion. Our second round pick is getting far more talking points. Is it because nobody cares about Williams, have no faith in him, don't like him or just think it will be a long while before he is ready?

Personally, I've talked more about White because I saw him quite a bit in summer league and was impressed. Williams may end up as a good pick, but I haven't seen him and so I can't get too impressed.

I will say he looked pretty decent in the limited SL minutes he got, but I just need more time before I'm going to get excited about him.

Re: Does anybody even care about....

I think the low down on Shawne was, a kid who has a lot of natural talent and tools at his disposal, but caught between a few positions.

Played an extra year at a prep school before Memphis.

Can put the ball on the floor and had decent range.

But as far as the mental, physical, playing defense etc.for some reason, was not able to put it all together consistently just yet, but had the ability.

However an overall "good" kid atitude wise.

I know especially around these parts, potential and upside are four letter words, but I have feeling Shawne should prove to be an exception, given the chance. Although I do think it will be a process not too much of an immediate impact.

Re: Does anybody even care about....

Personally, I've talked more about White because I saw him quite a bit in summer league and was impressed. Williams may end up as a good pick, but I haven't seen him and so I can't get too impressed.

I will say he looked pretty decent in the limited SL minutes he got, but I just need more time before I'm going to get excited about him.

Ditto.

I have never watched him play aside from serving as background scenary to the Rodney Carney show. And I put very little stock in anything any scouting sites or draft reports ever have to say about people. They all pretty much seem to get their info from one initial report and just repeat whatever the other guy had to say. Very, very little creative thought seems to go into these things.

Physically, he looks like an NBA player. But so do lots of other guys that became nobodies.

Re: Does anybody even care about....

I think the low down on Shawne was, a kid who has a lot of natural talent and tools at his disposal, but caught between a few positions.

Played an extra year at a prep school before Memphis.

Can put the ball on the floor and had decent range.

But as far as the mental, physical, playing defense etc.for some reason, was not able to put it all together consistently just yet, but had the ability.

However an overall "good" kid atitude wise.

I know especially around these parts, potential and upside are four letter words, but I have feeling Shawne should prove to be an exception, given the chance. Although I do think it will be a process not too much of an immediate impact.

I think this is pretty accurate. I know I can't look at Williams without thinking "Bender 2.0."

Re: Does anybody even care about....

I'm not as surprised.....as most of us...outside of Jermaniac...proabably haven't even heard of Shawne before the draft...much less during the draft. The most that I heard on him was from Bird's post-draft interview of him on ESPN.

Like any other rookie....he's a project......its just strange that he's viewed ( at least from a PD perspective ) as more of a project then White would be.

Maybe if Shawne played more during the Summer League.....or had some highlight reels on YouTube ( as btowncolts suggests )....we would have a better handle of his game.

Re: Does anybody even care about....

I for one look forward to seeing the kids progress over the next two years. I just think it is going to be hard for either of our rookies to carve out any consistent minutes this year. There is just too much talent at the 2, 3 and 4 spots in front of them. If either crack the rotation it will be because they earned it that is for sure.

And I just dont buy the "Our coach has a history of severly limiting the roles for rookies" theme that Jay has repeatedly harped on over the Summer. Granger got to play, Harrison got a regular opportunity, James Jones got a regular opportunity. So I am not sure what history you are referring to, Jay, because I just dont see it based on the time Rick has been the coach of the Pacers.

Those 3 guys mentioned are the only rookies that Rick has dealt with during his tenure here. And all have been given ample opportunity based on their skill level, development and the quality of the players playing in front of them.

Honestly, what more could Rick have done with the 3 rookies he has been given to work with up to this point as the head coach of the Pacers?

Re: Does anybody even care about....

Id talk about the kid more but i know nothing about him, i know alot about James "Flight" White since he was from Cincy so i talk about him more (even though i havent really been talking about him here on PD)

If you havin' depth problems, I feel bad for you son; I got 99 problems but a bench ain't one! - Hicks

Yes, the two players I would be ecstatic if we were able steal at 17 would be.

Ronnie Brewer for sure I think he is everything you can ask for if your the Pacers. Defensive intensity , nose for the ball, good handles, can go to the glass. He reminds me of a combo of Maggette/ Artest .. skill set wise that is .. He has been though slowing rising on the Draft Boards so Indiana may have to trade up.....

or Shawne Williams... HUGE upside, good size versatile like a Granger but I think he is more of a true Swingman , more of a natural shooter and ball handler..

I think there were some that follow College and all the Pre-Draft Hype , that knew of him. But yes for the most part he is still not a widely known player, due in part to being on a deep Memphis club.

Re: Does anybody even care about....

I'm mostly freaked out that all of these young players are going to be coached by Mr. "I'd-Rather-Play-a-Less-Talented-Veteran-Than-Build-The-Future-Of-The-Team" Carlisle.

Here is another one..... where has Rick done this as the coach of the Pacers? Please give me some examples in case I am missing something, because I sure dont see it.

He played Granger, he has played Harrison, he has played Saras and he played Fred and James Jones. Those are the only youngsters that have been on our team during Rick's tenure. Am I missing something?

Re: Does anybody even care about....

I think that the reason so few of us talk much about Shawne Williams is because he is a big question mark.

He has talent, he has the total package. As long as he works hard on the court and in the weight room he will be fine with his skills and body. I'm more worried about the mental aspects of the game from him. He is an unproven talent and it will be 3 years before we really have a good idea of what type of player he will be.

Williams is listed at 225 pounds. His weight isn't a big issue for me, it's his strength. Any person should be able to bench press atleast their body weight and I thought I remember reading that Shawne couldn't even bench 200 at the pre-draft camp. So his strength is a big issue for me.

Then his experience/on court awarness/focus needs to improve. But Williams is still young, only 20 years old, so I am not worried about this. I think that after he gets more experience this will get better.

Williams should be a fine player. He just won't be getting any playing time atleast in his rookie season, nor should he because he isn't ready for playing time in the NBA yet. Just give the kid some time, my first reaction was that I hated this pick but it has grown on me. Just be paient with the kid and give him tell.

Re: Does anybody even care about....

He played Granger out of position and more than he wanted to because he was forced to (Ron's trade demands and acquiring Peja, plus JO's injury.)

I still got the impression Rick was holding Danny back.

Rick won't give Harrison enough leeway to play through his foul problems.

We're not talking about whether or not he'll give the rookies a few minutes per game. Clearly he's doing that.

He won't commit to making these young players a key part of his system. We sure could've used another big man against Detroit in 2004 that could spread the floor and play a little defense. Perhaps Primoz Brezec?

Even if these guys get nominal playing time, Rick is not making a commitment to them. And that hurts the team in the long run. That's what many of us have been saying all along. The issue is Rick's lack of vision.

Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
And life itself, rushing over me
Life itself, the wind in black elms,
Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you